S’porean lady wants to be a pro wrestler since the age of 13, but only if her mum allows

Some young people find themselves struggling to answer the following question:

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

But not 17-year-old Nadiah Alani Binte Hirwandy.

Despite her small stature of 1.58m, Nadiah has big dreams of becoming a professional wrestler.

Captivated by the world of professional wrestling

Growing up, Nadiah wasn’t your average kid.

She had lived abroad in New Zealand for around seven years.

Before returning to Singapore at the age of 10, she had spent much of her childhood in the great outdoors – when she was not climbing trees or playing in the stream, she would tend to a vegetable patch or help with outdoor chores such as drying chopped wood.

While other kids were content to watch cartoons or ‘family-friendly’ TV shows, Nadiah was a wrestling fanatic who found herself being captivated by the world of WWE wrestling.

She would faithfully tune in to watch WWE twice a week with her father, never missing a show.

Inspired by the vivid storylines and performances of wrestlers, Nadiah and her sister would wrestle on the trampoline, or play pretend by acting out the entrances of WWE wrestlers as their father sang their ‘theme song’.

That’s right, this kid was (and still is) absolutely mad about wrestling.

Wanted to be a pro wrestler, but that’s not happening… for now.

It is not just wishful thinking for Nadiah.

The taekwondo yellow belt holder achieved this at the age of nine.

Currently a member of the Republic Polytechnic’s judo club, she has also picked up skills from various martial arts imparted to her by her father.

But her first love will always be wrestling.

“As I tend to lose interest in things very quickly, I knew wrestling was different because I never got bored of it,” she said.

When she was 13, Nadiah decided that she wanted to be a professional wrestler. There was just one thing holding her back – her mother.

Nadiah told us that her mother preferred for her to choose a “safer” career option, seeing as how wrestling is a high-risk sport that may expose herself to injuries.

As someone who cares a lot about having her mother’s support when it comes to making huge life decisions, Nadiah had to consider other ways of leaving her mark in the sporting world.

And that’s why she decided to pursue a diploma in Sport & Exercise Science at Republic Polytechnic -- the only polytechnic that offers a course on this.

Why Sport & Exercise Science?

Despite being an academically inclined student who “made sure to prioritise (her) studies” and “finish her homework on time”, the former Crescent Girls student admitted that she actually didn’t enjoy studying the things she did in secondary school.

In fact, Physical Education (PE) was probably the most enjoyable subject in school for her, she said.

Instead of delving into academic theories or concepts, she had always longed to study something that could be directly applied to real-life situations.

Like how to deal with an injury as an athlete – something she has experienced a fair share of as an active member of the hockey team.

But apart from her personal encounters with injury, Nadiah also shared that seeing her sister visit the physiotherapist strengthened her resolve to study sport science.

Watching the physiotherapist diagnose injuries, prescribe treatment and give her sister professional advice inspired her to want to do the same for others, she said.

Hence, studying Sport & Exercise Science was an intuitive decision for Nadiah, who decided that she not only wanted to do sports, but also marry it with practical knowhow in sports nutrition and injury management.

A course like this, which takes a scientific approach to sports and physical activity, would equip her with knowledge to diagnose injuries and help other athletes in the future.

Applying for EAE

Since Nadiah already knew that she had set her sights on doing a sports science course after finishing her O-levels, the natural thing to do was to apply to Republic Polytechnic via the Early Admissions Exercise (EAE).

The EAE is for students who demonstrate a strong aptitude and interest in a course and have non-academic talents and achievements in areas such as sports, arts, community, service, or leadership.

With a strong passion for sports and keen interest in learning about how to diagnose and treat sports injuries, Nadiah received a conditional offer (which means she needed a net ELR2B2 score of 26 or better to do the course).

Despite receiving the conditional offer, Nadiah was still determined to do her best for her O-level.

“Even though I had already been accepted, I still really wanted to do well for my O-levels. My parents always taught me to put in my best effort.”

It turned out that Nadiah’s hard work and discipline eventually paid off.

On the day when the O-level results were released, she saw that she had scored six points for her ELR1B2 aggregate score.

Her impressive score meant that she would have many doors open for her in terms of education opportunities. But Nadiah had already made up her mind long ago.

So what has her first year been like?

Reflecting on her first year in RP, Nadiah said that it has been “very different” from secondary school as students are expected to be very independent.

With the Covid-19 situation now, Nadiah pointed out that secondary school students currently doing home-based learning (HBL) may find it hard to adjust to an arrangement where there is less supervision from teachers.

Some may also find it less conducive to study from home.

This makes it all the more important for students to use their time wisely and have the discipline to “work hard even if there’s nobody watching”, she said.

However, it is always important to find some time to destress and unwind by spending time with family, she said.

Thankfully for Nadiah, she has never had a problem with time management. To cope with the demands of her CCA and schoolwork in secondary school, she said she would put every minute to good use by using pockets of free time during recess or before her CCA to complete her schoolwork.

Now, Nadiah is tackling new challenges in the next phase of her life. She is looking forward to picking up new skills such as proper sports taping technique, and also exploring a career in physiotherapy.

But, what about her dreams to be a professional wrestler?

“I’m still very keen on doing it!”

In about a year, once she turns 18, she hopes to sign up for wrestling training under Singapore Pro Wrestling, where she can finally learn wrestling techniques and be properly immersed in the world of pro wrestling.

Is she going to carve out a career from that? Less likely.

“If my parents were to change their minds and allow me to pursue wrestling as a full-time job, I would,” she cheekily added.

But until that happens, Nadiah will continue to train for judo.

Interested to apply to Republic Polytechnic, or maybe know someone who is? There will be a webinar on EAE happening on June 5.

All parents and students are welcome to attend and find out more about the application process, as well as learn useful tips for a successful EAE application.

You can register at this link.

Top photos courtesy of Nadiah Alani.

This is a sponsored article by Republic Polytechnic. The writer went to JC because, unlike Nadiah, she had no idea which polytechnic course to choose.